Port of Long Beach Breaks Cargo Record

Release Date: 2017-08-11

Our Port is having another great year! Surging cargo volume in July set a record for the best month in the Port of Long Beach’s 106-year history, surpassing the previous high mark set in August 2015 for the number of containers moved across its docks.

With total volume of 720,312 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in July, cargo traffic has increased for five consecutive months in Long Beach and in six of the first seven months of 2017. Volume is up 6.4 percent for the calendar year compared to 2016.

Overall, container business in Long Beach was 13.1 percent higher in July compared to the same month a year ago. Imports jumped 16.3 percent to 378,820 TEUs — also setting an all-time record for the Port — as retailers anticipate consumer demand for goods in the coming months. Exports slipped 11.7 percent to 126,098 containers. The recent wave of imports helped push empty containers 27.7 percent higher, to 215,394 TEUs. Empty containers are repositioned overseas.

The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. With 175 shipping lines connecting Long Beach to 217 seaports, the Port handles $180 billion in trade annually, supporting hundreds of thousands of Southern California jobs.

This growth at our Port is emblematic of our growth across Long Beach, we currently have record low unemployment. I am proud our Port leadership, including our Harbor Commissioners and our CEO Mario Cordero, and all the staff, have worked hard to not only build on our success but have done so while cutting greenhouse gases and being a leader on climate change. This is great news for all our residents.